Any device that requires polarized light uses one or more polarizers. Polarizers have many industrial applications. For example, polarizers may be utilized in electro-optical modulators and laser subsystems. In essence, a polarizer eliminates an undesirable light component of a first polarization, and allows a desirable light component of a second polarization to pass through. In numerous applications involving the use of polarizers, there is a great need to provide optical fiber components that are capable of maintaining/preserving a specific polarization state for light signals transmitted therethrough, over varying distances (from short couplers, to mid-/long-length optical fiber links).
However, conventional polarization maintaining/preservation solutions suffer from a number of disadvantages:                Conventional polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers comprise two possible axis of polarized light propagation—slow and fast, and, most importantly, PM fibers can maintain linear polarized light ONLY along one of slow OR fast axis. If the polarization of the light signal is not linear, or is otherwise not aligned with one of these axis, the PM fiber will not maintain the polarization thereof. Furthermore, environmental changes may affect the PM fiber by changing the orientation of linear polarized light transmitted therethrough at output.        A single mode (SM) fiber can maintain arbitrary polarization, but only if for very short lengths, and only when not subject to any physical or environmental stress.        A spun fiber (e.g., a twisted fiber with a long pitch) which are typically designed to maintain arbitrary polarization, also have a number of drawbacks: they are limited in length, they must remain unstressed, and must be kept straight.        
Accordingly, it would be very desirable to provide a polarization preserving optical fiber that is operable to preserve the state of any arbitrary polarization for light signals transmitted therethrough without limitations on the type of permitted states of polarization, on the fiber length, and with greatly reduced vulnerability to negative impact of environmental changes.